Nonprofit Administration Faculty

Adjunct Professor

Currently serving as a financial executive, Gil Alvarado oversees the management of operations and strategic development for nonprofits. With more than 20 years of experience in institutional investing, finance, technology, audit, tax and leadership, he has started, assisted and led many organizations from startups to large endowments. Gil focuses financial models that support mission driven initiatives that help organizations evolve to their next-level and frequently speaks on panels addressing technology, investments and nonprofit management. He also serves on a number of boards and advisory group, both regionally and nationally.

Professor

Larry Brewster embodies the University’s mission for social justice. A passionate educator, author and professional consultant, Dr. Brewster teaches the importance of ethically sound business practices and guides future professional leaders to understand the significance of social responsibility.

Department Chair / Associate Professor

Richard Callahan is a highly active international educator with a broad range of expertise in areas ranging from public management to governance issues. His lifelong dedication to social justice from a global perspective exemplifies his commitment to the University’s vision to change the world from here. Professor Callahan is the Director of the Public Administration Program.

Adjunct Professor

Lyn Corbett teaches graduate courses on governance, leadership, and strategic planning. He has helped organizations within the business, non-profit, and government sectors successfully implement initiatives to make lasting, measurable change. Corbett has held leadership roles in nonprofit organizations in New York, Washington, D.C., New Orleans, and California. As President of the Pivotal Group Consultants, Inc., he helps organizations and their partners address the changing needs of their community, ultimately advancing their mission and maximizing their impact.

Adjunct Professor

Sheldon Engler is an economic consultant, specializing in global economic and financial market research for businesses and institutional investors. Sheldon has thirty-five years of experience in financial services, academics, and consulting.

Lecturer

Kevin Hickey serves as the Senior Manager of High School and Bridge Programs at Jewish Vocational Service, where he leads job placement and public policy advocacy efforts on behalf of children, youth, families, and the unemployed. Kevin holds appointments on various public advisory councils and is active with Coleman Advocates for Children and Youth. Kevin Hickey was awarded the USF 2013-2014 Distinguished Adjunct Teaching Award.

Adjunct Professor

Adele James is the founder of Adele James Consulting, and teaches graduate courses on management and organizational leadership. With a combined experience as a funder, leadership development program staff, and as a certified executive coach, Ms. James has a strategic understanding of what it takes to be a productive and responsive leader, team and organization. As staff to three foundations, she has commissioned and facilitated grant programs totaling over $176 million throughout California.

Professor Emeritus

Michael O’Neill, Professor Emeritus, is the founder and former Program Director of the Master of Nonprofit Administration program. During his career he focused his academic and professional attention on education, development and management solutions for nonprofit organizations. His prodigious body of research is an invaluable resource for students who recognize the critical role of nonprofits in meeting societal and environmental needs.

Adjunct Professor

Ms. Liz Schaffer is currently the Chief Financial Officer at the Global Fund for Women, the largest foundation exclusively funding international women’s human rights organizations. She co-authored Financial Leadership for Nonprofit Executives: Guiding Your Organization to Long Term Success (Fieldstone Alliance Press). She helps organizations and nonprofit leaders enhance their decision-making ability by improving the quality of their financial data and analysis.

Adjunct Professor

Ms. Rita Sever has worked in human resources and nonprofits for her entire career. She works with nonprofits to improve their staffing structures, systems, and dynamics to better serve their mission. Through all her work, she sees the tremendous impact of supervision. She offers consulting, coaching and training through her business, Supervision Matters. She brings HR experience, coaching skills, her interest in play and community, and her commitment to social justice to help nonprofits be more effective.

Adjunct Professor

JoAnne teaches Legal Issues Affecting Nonprofit Organizations, in addition to courses in USF’s Public Administration program. She brings over 25 years of nonprofit and public administration experience to her teaching, having served as general counsel to the League of California Cities and chief executive of the Institute for Local Government. In addition to the nonprofit sector, she has worked for the California Legislature and the federal courts. Over the course of her career, JoAnne has written extensively on legal, ethics and management topics.

Professor

Dr. Marco Tavanti is an international development scholar whose experience stretches over 25 years and whose work has taken him to more than 18 countries in Europe, East Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America. Dr. Tavanti’s teaching in sustainable development, leadership ethics, intercultural diversity, and NGO management is grounded in Jesuit values and his scholarship is an embodiment of the University’s mission to be of service to humankind. Professor Tavanti is the Nonprofit Administration Program Director.

Adjunct Professor

Dr. Lynn Thull provides organizational development supports and services to nonprofit and for-profit organizations throughout California, and she consults on statewide mental health policy issues. Dr. Thull’s professional passion centers on advocating for and working with unserved and underserved communities, primarily Asian Pacific Islanders and geographically isolated populations. She earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology.

Associate Professor

Richard Waters’s research explores such varied topics as LGBT issues in strategic communication, relationship management theory with emphasis on the nonprofit-donor relationship, the ethics of fundraising, and effective use of social media in the classroom. He has authored multiple books and his articles have been published in a number of esteemed professional journals including the Journal of Public Relations Research, Public Relations Review, and Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly.